Surgical lumbo-sacral support

ABSTRACT

A relatively narrow, lumbosacral surgical support having a semirigid, but flexible intermediate panel and a pair of porous elastic end panels stretchable longitudinally and transversely.

United States Patent John F. Gaylord, Jr. Matthews, N.C.

App]. No. 788,510

Filed Jan. 2, 1969 Patented Mar. 9, 1971 Assignee Medical Specialties,Inc.

Charlotte, NC.

Inventor SURGICAL LUMBO-SACRAL SUPPORT 9 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl. 128/78,

128/169, 128/549, 128/578 Int. Cl. A6lf 5/02 Field of Search... 128/549,

. l57,579,96l0l,78,169,578

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,104,699 1/1938 ODell2,733,712 2/1956 Wuesthoff... 3,434,469 3/1969 Swift 3 ,441 ,027 4/1969Lehman Primary ExaminerAdele M. Eager Attorney-Parrott, Bell, Seltzer,Park & Gibson ABSTRACT: A relatively narrow, lumbosacral surgicalsupport having a semirigid, but flexible intermediate panel and a pairof porous elastic end panels stretchable longitudinally andtransversely.

PATENTEDHAR 9197: $568,670

sum 1 0F 2 INVENTOR 2 JOHN F. GAYLOED, 32.

MW 644, i gmiwq fll m ATTORNEYS PATENTEUHAR 9|97l 3.568.670

SHEET 2 [1F 2 INVENTOR. Jo H N E GAYLOED J'R.

ATTORNEYS SURGECAL LUMBG-SAQRAL SUPfQiliT Various types of surgicalbinders or supports have been proposed heretofore to be'positioned abouta patients trunk for supporting the patients back in the lumbar and/orsacral regions. Generally, such surgical supports have been madeentireiy of elastic webbing stretchable inlongitudinal direction only,or they have been made of woven inelastic duck sections with elastic-websections interposed between adjacent duck sections. In many instances,such surgical supports are provided with hard inflexible pads in thecentral portions thereof in order to provide the necessary support forthe wearer. The elastic type of surgical support tends to roll uponitself quiet easily while in use, and the type of surgical support madeup of duck and elastic web sections is undesirably expensive tomanufacture because of the number of elements involved in itsmanufacture. Also, those supports which have been provided with hardpads therein are uncomfortable because they do not readily conform tothe physiognomy of the patient and are uncomfortably hot to the wearer.

It is an object of this invention to provide a surgical binder orsupport which is so constructed as to overcome the abovementioned andother drawbacks inherent in surgical supports commonly in use. 1

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide alumbosacral support comprising an intermediate, semirigid but flexibleand resilient panel and opposing the panels of elastic fabric, which endpanels are stretchable both longitudinally and transversely of the sameso as to conform to the physiognomy of a patients trunk when the supportis in use.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objectswill appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. l is a front elevational view of a preferred embodiment of thelumbosacral support of the present invention as it is worn about apatients trunk;

MG. 2 is a rear elevation of the lurnbosacral support as it is wornabout a patients trunk;

H6. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the outside surface of thelumbosacral support;

lFiG. 48 is a perspective view of the inside or body-engaging surface ofthe lumbosacral support;

MG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the various parts of thelurnbosacral support before they are fastened together;

PEG. 6 is a perspective view of the partially assembled support;

FIG. '7 is an enlarged transverse sectional view through one of the endpanels of the support, taken substantially along line 7-7 in PEG. 3; and

FIG. fl is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through theintermediate panel of the support taken substantially along line h-b inH6. 3.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the improved lurnbosacralsupport is broadly designated at llil and comprises a substantiallyrectangular, semirigid and resilient intermediate panel l?., and a pairof first and second elongate opposing end panels 32, 13 which arepreferably trapezoidally shaped. End panels l2, 13 are stretchable bothlongitudinally and transversely thereof to readily conform to thephysiognomy of the patient, as shown in FiGS. ii and 2, when worn aboutthe patients trunk in the lumbosacral region. In its preferredembodiment, the support it) is formed of a multilayer elastic fabricextending throughout the length thereof and which is stretchable in boththe transverse and longitudinal directions.

As shown, with particular reference to FIG. 5, all three panels illl.3of support ill are formed collectively from a pair of complementaryelongate lengths or layers of porous elastic fabric 14, 15. The fabricforming each layer is preferably of the well-known power not type inwhich rubber or spandex elastic yarns extend longitudinally of thefabric and are interlaid with respective rows of knitted stitches ofrelatively inelastic yarn. By way of example, a power net fabricstructure is shown on page 189 of a publication copyrighted 1964 by theNational Knitted Outerwear Association, and entitled Advanced KnittingPrinciples," to which reference is made for a disclosure thereof, Othertypes of elastic fabrics capable of transverse and longitudinal stretchmay be used however.

The intermediate panel ll comprises a resilient spongelike core 17 whoselength is about one fourth to one third the overall length of thesupport W and which is encased or sandwiched between medial portions ofthe fabric layers l4, l5 defining the intermediate panel Ill. The corel7 may be about three-eighths inch to tive-eighths inch thick, dependingto some degree upon the desired size of the support. In the process ofmanufacturing the support It), the two fabric layers l4, 15 preferablyare formed originally of about the same width throughout their length asshown in FIG. 6, and they are secured together along their opposinglongitudinal edges by suitable stitching 20, with the core 17 positionedbetween the fabric layers l4, 15. Although the two fabric layers 14, 15are shown in FIG. 6as being separate strips of fabric, it is apparentthat both layers 14, 15 may be made from a single width of fabric foldedupon itself along its longitudinal center, without departing from theinvention.

To further facilitate confirmation of the support 10 to the physiognomyof a patient when it is worn about the patients trunk, the opposinglongitudinal side edges of each end panel 12, 13 extend in angular orconverging relationship from their juncture with intermediate panel 11outwardly to the outer end edges thereof as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.Additionally, the longitudinal central or medial portion of each endpanel l2, 13 is reinforced and is of lesser elasticity or stretchabilityunder a given amount of tensile forcethan the opposing side portions ofthe respective end panel. To this end, in the process of manufacture ofthe support after the two fabric layers l4, l5 have been securedtogether along their opposing longitudinal edges, each end panel 12, 13is severed longitudinally thereof along a line extending parallel withthe opposing side edges of the fabric layers 14, 15 and about halfwaybetween such opposing side edges, with the line of cut terminatingadjacent opposing end edges of core 117, as best shown in FIG. 6.

Thereafter, the side portions of each end panel l2, .13 are positionedin overlapping relationship with the amount of overlap diminishing in adirection toward the intermediate panel ll, thus forming respectivesubstantially triangularlyshaped or wedge-shaped reinforcing gussets 22,23 extending longitudinally of and along medial portions of therespective end panels l2, 13. The previously cut or severed edges of thegussets 22 are then secured in overlapping relationship by respectiveoutwardly diverging lines of stitching 24, 25, and 26, 27.

In order to secure core 17 in the desired position between fabric layersl4, 15 such as to impart a semirigid characteristic to intermediatepanel ll without sacrificing the resiliency and porosity of intermediatepanel ll, panel ll is provided with a plurality of space substantiallyparallel and transversely extending rows of support thread stitching 3thpenetratingly secured to the same, which rows of stitching serve to holdthe core in compressed condition thereat to impart a transversely ribbedconfiguration to opposing faces of intermediate panel llll. The rows ofstitching 30 may be in the form of chain stitching, or any othersuitable means may be provided for compressively securing the layers offabric and the core together along lines extending transversely of theintermediate panel so as to stabilize the intermediate support panel andto impart a transversely ribbed configuration to opposing faces of theintermediate panel.

Core i7 preferably is formed of a resilient foam material having arelatively high density, in order to provide sufficient rigidity whilealso having sufficient porosity so that some ventilation of the coveredarea of the werarers body is possible. A suitable material for thispurpose is disclosed in my US. Pat.

No. 3,374,785, issued Mar. 26, 1968. Such material, formed from discreteparticles of polyurethane foam material bonded together, preferably hasa density of about 6 pounds per cubic foot, while having a porositycomparable to that of common polyurethane foam material of about 2pounds per cubic foot density.

Suitable fastening means are provided for fastening the distal endportions of end panels 12, 13 in overlapping relationship to snuglysecure the lumbosacral support about the patients trunk as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2. It is preferred that a so-called Velcro type of fasteningmeans is employed in which a relatively small strip of textile pilematerial 33 is secured to one face of the outer or distal end portion ofone of the end panels, and wherein one or more hook strips 34 issuitably secured to the opposite face of the outer or distal end portionof the other end panel. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the strip of pilematerial 33 is secured, by suitable stitching, to the outer end portionof face of end panel 12, and hook strips 34 are secured, by suitablestitching, to the outer portion of the opposite face of end panel 13.The Velcro fastening means may be of the type disclosed in US. Pat. No.2,717,437, issued Sept. 13, l955, to which a reference is made for amore detailed description thereof. It is to be understood that otherfastening means, such as snap fasteners, hooks and eyes, buttons, etc.,may be used for this purpose. At the time that pile and hook members 33,34 are secured to end panels l2, l3, 7 the opposed ends of the fabriclayers M, also may be sewn together.

It is thus seen that l have provided an improved lumbosacral support offlexible, breathable characteristics and which includes a semirigid,porous and resilient panel with two-way stretch end panels, and whichmay be worn by both men and women, since it will readily and comfortablyconform to the patients physiognomy while preventing or relieving painin the lower region of the patients back.

Because of the resilient but semirigid characteristics of theintermediate panel ll. and the smoothly rounded configuration of theribs of the intermediate panel, the width of intermediate panel 11 maybe substantially less than the width of the supports conventionally usedfor reinforcing a patients back. Heretofore, conventional lumbosacralsupports have been of such width as to embrace an area extending fromabout the region of the second lumbar vertebra to a position below thecoccyx in order to provide adequate support of the sacral vertebrae. Thewidth of the support of this invention need only be sufficient tooverlie the fifth lumbar vertebra and the five sacral vertebrae (roughlyabout 6 to 7 inches wide). The length of intermediate panel 11 (core 17)should be about 11 to 12 inches; sufficient to embrace the patientspelvic region.

It has been determined that the lumbosacral support should bemanufactured in various sizes, i.e., the width and length of the supportshould be suited to the wearer. However, it has been determined that theintermediate panel 11 need not be wider than about 7 inches, even in thelargest sizes, to provide satisfactory support for the lumbosacralregion of thepatient.

lclaim:

l. A lumbosacral surgical support comprising a substantially rectangularsemirigid intermediate panel including a fabricencased core of resilientporous spongelike material secured thereto, first and second elongateopposing end panels of elastic textile fabric connected to and extendingoutwardly from respective opposing side edges of said intermediatepanel, the elastic fabric of said end panels being stretchable bothlongitudinally and transversely thereof to readily conform to thephysiognomy of the patient when worn in the lumbosacral region, andfastening means for detachably interconnecting the distal end portionsof said end panels opposite from said intermediate panel when thesupport is placed about the patients trunk in the lumbosacral region.

2. A surgical support according to claim 1, wherein said core iscomposed of discrete particles of polyurethane foam material bondedtogether and having a density of about 6 pounds per cubic foot and anenhanced porosity comparable to that of common polyurethane foam ofabout 2 pounds per cubic foot density.

3. A surgical support according to claim 1 including a plurality ofspaced substantially parallel and transversely extending rows of binderthread stitching penetratingly secured to said intermediate supportpanel to stabilize said core relative to said fabric.

4. A surgical support according to claim 1, in which the fabric-encasedcore includes two layers of fabric sandwiching said spongelike materialtherebetween, and further comprising a plurality of spaced transverserows of thread stitching compressively securing the layers of saidfabric and said core together in the area of said intermediate supportpanel, and said rows of stitching serving to hold the core in compressedcondition thereat to impart a transversely ribbed configuration toopposing faces of said intermediate panel.

5. A surgical support according to claim 1, wherein each of said endpanels includes a longitudinally extending medial portion ofsubstantially lesser elasticity than its outer portions straddling saidmedial portion,

6. A surgical support according to claim 1, wherein each of said endpanels is provided with outwardly converging longitudinal side edgessuch that each end panel is of lesser width at its outer end than saidintermediate panel, and wherein opposing sections of each end panel aredisposed in overlapping superimposed relationship.

7. A surgical support according to claim 1, wherein said fastening meanscomprises means forming a napped surface on one face of one of said endpanels adjacent the outer end thereof, and a plurality of hook-shapedfiber members secured to and projecting from the opposing face of theother of said end panels adjacent the outer end thereof for grippinglyengaging said napped surface on said one end panel to fasten togetherthe distal ends of said end panels in overlapping relationship.

8. A lumbosacral surgical support comprising an elongate web comprisingmultiple plies of elastic textile fabric, a substantially rectangularcore of resilient porous spongelike material sandwiched between andsecured to medial portions of said plies and defining with the plies asemirigid intermediate support panel, said plies defining end panelsextending outwardly from opposing side edges of said intermediate panel,said plies being interconnected along their opposing longitudinal sideedges, and fastening means positioned on the distal ends of said endpanels for securement of such ends together when the support is placedabout a patients trunk.

9. A surgical support according to claim 8, wherein said end panels areelastically stretchable both longitudinally and transversely to readilyconform to the physiognomy of the patients trunk in the lumbosacralregion.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 570Dated March 9, 197 1 Invent r(s) John F. Gaylord, J1.

It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent andthat said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Col. 1, line 14, change 'quiet" to --quite--;

Col. 2, line 5 after "thereof change to line 74, change 'werarers" to-wearer's--;

Col. 3, line 18, after ",of" (first occurrence) and before face",

insert --one-;

line 26, after "13, delete the numeral 7 Signed and sealed this 17th dayof August 1971.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FIETGHER,JR. WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR. Attesting OfficerCommissioner of Patents

1. A lumbosacral surgical support comprising a substantially rectangularsemirigid intermediate panel including a fabricencased core of resilientporous spongelike material secured thereto, first and second elongateopposing end panels of elastic textile fabric connected to and extendingoutwardly from respective opposing side edges of said intermediatepanel, the elastic fabric of said end panels being stretchable bothlongitudinally and transversely thereof to readily conform to thephysiognomy of the patient when worn in the lumbosacral region, andfastening means for detachably interconnecting the distal end portionsof said end panels opposite from said intermediate panel when thesupport is placed about the patient''s trunk in the lumbosacral region.2. A surgical support according to claim 1, wherein said core iscomposed of discrete particles of polyurethane foam material bondedtogether and having a density of about 6 pounds per cubic foot and anenhanced porosity comparable to that of common polyurethane foam ofabout 2 pounds per cubic foot density.
 3. A surgical support accordingto claim 1 including a plurality of spaced substantially parallel andtransversely extending rows of binder thread stitching penetratinglysecured to said intermediate support panel to stabilize said corerelative to said fabric.
 4. A surgical support according to claim 1, inwhich the fabric-encased core includes two layers of fabric sandwichingsaid spongelike material therebetween, and further comprising aplurality of spaced transverse rows of thread stitching compressivelysecuring the layers of said fabric and said core together in the area ofsaid intermediate support panel, and said rows of stitching serving tohold the core in compressed condition thereat to impart a transverselyribbed configuration to opposing faces of said intermediate panel.
 5. Asurgical support according to claim 1, wherein each of said end panelsincludes a longitudinally extending medial portion of substantiallylesser elasticity than its outer portions straddling said medialportion,
 6. A surgical support according to claim 1, wherein each ofsaid end panels is provided with outwardly converging longitudinal sideedges such that each end panel is of lesser width at its outer end thansaid intermediate panel, and wherein opposing sections of each end panelare disposed in overlapping superimposed relationship.
 7. A surgicalsupport according to claim 1, wherein said fastening means comprisesmeans forming a napped surface on one face of one of said end panelsadjacent the outer end thereof, and a plurality of hook-shaped fibermembers secured to and projecting from the opposing face of the other ofsaid end panels adjacent the outer end thereof for grippingly engagingsaid napped surface on said one end panel to fasten together the distalends of said end panels in overlapping relationship.
 8. A lumbosacralsurgical support comprising an elongate web comprising multiple plies ofelastic textile fabric, a substantially rectangular core of resilientporous spongelike material sandwiched between and secured to medialportions of said plies and defining with the plies a semirigidintermediate support panel, said plies defining end panels extendingoutwardly from opposing side edges of said intermediate panel, saidplies being interconnected along their opposing longitudinal side edges,and fastening means positioned on the distal ends of said end panels forsecurement of such ends together when the support is placed about apatient''s trunk.
 9. A surgical support according to claim 8, whereinsaid end panels are elastically Stretchable both longitudinally andtransversely to readily conform to the physiognomy of the patient''strunk in the lumbosacral region.